International Day of the Midwife
On May 5th we celebrate the responsibility, dedication, and unwavering compassion of midwives across the world.
International Day of the Midwife (IDM) is a time to celebrate the work that we, and our colleagues, do for mothers, families and communities across the country.
In 2019, the Australian Bureau of Statistics established that a baby is born every 1 minute and 44 seconds. That means that every 1 minute and 44 seconds Australian midwives are helping bring the future generation into the world.
That alone is something to be cherished.
While the work we do each day is remarkable, this year’s IDM theme is Midwives with Women – celebrate, demonstrate, mobilise, unite. This theme is not only a mark of adoration, but is also a call to action. IDM 2020 calls for midwives, women, and communities to work together to close the gap in gender inequality.
Midwifery is a profession that is highly respected within communities across the world, which allows a platform for our voices to be heard. Among mothers, families, and communities, this allows us to do our part to ensure that the babies we bring into the world have a gender-equal future.
To work together towards a collective goal not only shows how midwifery is consistently benefitting community, but allows us to look at our profession with pride.
Because of this, IDM is also a cause for celebration.
While mild chaos is currently sweeping the world due to COVID-19, IDM allows us a chance to celebrate our profession and the beauty of life that we experience every day.
As a midwife we know there is more to our profession than delivering a baby. We are the point of contact, the familiar face, the helping hand, and the shoulder to lean on.
That is what we should praise our colleagues and ourselves for during this year’s IDM celebrations. While celebrations look a little different this year, we can still:
- Demonstrate our professionalism within the healthcare industry.
- Mobilise our collective visions and goals.
- Unite women, families, communities, and people.
- And celebrate that in the time it has taken to read this article, another baby has been born thanks to an Australian midwife.
Happy International Day of the Midwife.
To find out more about this year’s IDM theme, click here.
